{"id":12243,"date":"2004-09-01T07:11:53","date_gmt":"2004-09-01T11:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12243"},"modified":"2026-07-30T14:42:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:42:00","slug":"life-its-all-about-love-by-debbieb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12243","title":{"rendered":"Life… It’s All About Love (by DebbieB)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/strong>WHN story: The Stallion and a bit of Forever tossed in to wet the eyes<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 G (2,325 words)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Live… It’s All About Love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ben knew something was terribly wrong when he saw Joe ride into the yard, followed by Candy and Griff who lagged behind just slightly. As Ben moved further out onto the porch, he watched as Joe swung down from his mount, Cochise. Joe\u2019s face bore the signs of fatigue and his clothes were covered with dirt and grime and Ben thought to himself that his son looked about ready to drop.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph?\u201d Ben called out.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake my horse, will ya, Griff?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure thing, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe took a deep breath and slowly made his way to his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happened son?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben walked beside Joe into the house, watching the younger man\u2019s face for any signs that might tell him why his son looked so haggard.<\/p>\n

Joe took off his hat and tossed it onto the credenza rather than hanging it on the usual peg behind the door. He looked up at his father while working to loosen the knot on the string that held his .45 strapped to his leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stallion is\u2026dead, Pa,\u201d he said, placing the gun next to his hat and turning to take a seat on the settee.<\/p>\n

He lowered his body slowly, for it ached from the long ride to the cabin and then back, over the ridge. Sighing, Joe leaned back against the cushions and looked over his shoulder at Ben. Casually, he propped his feet up on the wide boarded table in front of the settee.<\/p>\n

Ben started to comment about the dusty boots on the furniture, but thought against it, for the sake of avoiding an argument. Instead, Ben sat down across from his son so that he could see into Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, the stallion is dead?\u201d Ben asked in a shocked voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cDead\u2026you know\u2026D-E-A-D, as in dead,\u201d Joe snapped, as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n

There was a long silence and then Joe opened his eyes and looked at his father sitting across in front of him. Ben was studying his son\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Pa\u2026I didn\u2019t mean to snap at you,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n

Removing his feet from the table, Joe pushed himself up and walked around the furniture to the hearth where he stood, staring into the fireplace. His fingers were crammed deeply into his back pockets and he rocked slightly on his heels.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing lives forever, does it, Pa?\u201d Joe asked softly as he turned back around.<\/p>\n

Ben moved to the fireplace and standing, looked deeply into the hazel eyes that suddenly appeared so aged and tired. Ben noted that the sparkle that had once glistened in the emerald depths had, over the course of time and events, disappeared.<\/p>\n

He knew why, it had started when they had found Hoss dead, having died in his own bed. It hadn\u2019t been that long ago, just a couple of years. His brother\u2019s death had sent Joe plummeting into a pit of despair that Ben had feared would take the younger boy\u2019s life as well.<\/p>\n

But things had changed when Joe had met Alice. How quickly the couple had fallen in love and then married. Ben had thought that perhaps both their lives, his and Joe\u2019s, would once again be filled with the love and laughter that his brother\u2019s death had snatched from their worlds.<\/p>\n

And then things got all twisted up again when Alice had died in the fire, carrying Joe\u2019s unborn child into death with her. Joe had all but lost his sanity back then. He\u2019d packed his things, determine to hunt down and kill the responsible parties, and had it not been for Candy, who had been like a brother to Joe and a son to himself, Joseph might would have succeed in totally destroying his life in the process.<\/p>\n

It had taken months and months but eventually, Joe had returned home, changed forever by the events that had molded his life. Gone was the boyish grin, the infectious laughter; an older, more mature individual, one who had learned to think first and act, second, had replaced the once young jokester. Youth was lost to age and wisdom and Joe had at last, found a measure of peace in his life\u2026or so his father thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me what happened, son,\u201d Ben said as he sat down on the hearth and patted the space next to him.<\/p>\n

Joe, his lips drawn tightly, did as his father indicated and sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat man that came here yesterday\u2026the one looking for a job\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Brewer\u2026Billy I think he said his name was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s him. He stole the stallion out of the barn this morning. He was hiding there when I went to see about the horse and he clobbered me on the head and then rode off on him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe rose and stretched, sitting down on the table and facing his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI followed his trail over the mountain. On the way, I ran into this kid\u2026and I gave him a ride home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe made a snickering sound that was more a disgusted grunt and then continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was looking for a job too. I gave him a ride back to his place. Turned out he was Brewer\u2019s kid. Brewer was there and had the stallion\u2026and my best saddle. When Brewer saw me, he started shooting, somehow the boy got in the way and Billy shot his own kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhew,\u201d Ben said. \u201cIs the boy alright, Joe?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to be. I had to fetch the doctor\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s nearly a twenty mile ride into town from that cabin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but the boy was bleeding pretty badly, so I rode the stallion. I knew if any horse could cross that ridge, he could\u2026and he did\u2026I ran into Candy and Griff, Griff went on after the doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe lowered his head as a mixture of both anguish and pride in the stallion washed over him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have seen him, Pa\u2026he was magnificent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe glanced up at his father, and with tears slowly building in his eyes, he smiled at Ben.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ran his heart out for me\u2026and for the boy,\u201d Joe said. \u201cIf it hadn\u2019t been for him, the boy might not have made it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben watched as Joe got up and paced around the room. Joe walked over to his father\u2019s desk and stood before it. Pictures lined the top and Joe picked up one and studied the image. When he sat that one down, he picked up another and then another.<\/p>\n

Ben had risen as well and had walked softly up behind his son, peeking over Joe\u2019s shoulder at the photographs Joe was examining. When Joe sensed Ben standing close, he turned his head to smile at his father. Ben noted that the smile was forced and the tears still glistened in his son\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s silly, me crying over a horse, when we\u2019ve lost so much more,\u201d Joe said softly as he swept his hand out before the pictures he was referring to.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not silly, son. And I don\u2019t think what you are feeling right now is because the stallion is dead\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what is it\u2026why do I suddenly feel as if life isn\u2019t worth the living anymore? Tell me why, Pa\u2026everything that we\u2019ve ever loved and cherished has been taken from us? I can\u2019t even hang on to a damn horse\u2026why\u2026what did I do that was so horrible that God is punishing me like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not punishing you, son\u2026God doesn\u2019t work like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh no? First my oldest brother leaves home, we hardly ever hear from him anymore\u2026I never got the chance to tell Adam how I really felt about him. I loved him, did you know that, Pa\u2026I honestly loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe was forced to look away as he tried to reclaim his composure. But he was so tired of it all, his spirit vanquished, that it made the job of composing himself almost impossible.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then, my best friend, Hoss, dies from some stupid set back he got after that so-called minor surgery Doc did on him\u2026and then\u2026just when I think life might be worth giving a second chance, my beautiful wife and unborn child is killed\u2026murdered\u2026burned to death.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tears dripped slowly down the sides of Joe\u2019s face. His chin quivered and his nose ran.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa\u2026how do you do it? What\u2019s your secret? For all I\u2019ve lost that I held dear, you\u2019ve lost so much more\u2026I don\u2019t understand, I don\u2019t\u2026I\u2019m so tired Pa\u2026please\u2026help me to understand it all!\u201d<\/p>\n

The sobs got the better of him and Joe fell into his father\u2019s arms. Ben tried to speak, but he found his words glued to the roof of his mouth and he couldn\u2019t break free the things he wanted to say to comfort his son.<\/p>\n

Several moments passed before Joe pulled free of his father\u2019s embrace. His wiped his face on the sleeve of his soiled jacket and then forced a smile for his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2026I didn\u2019t mean to lose it like that, it\u2019s just that some days are so\u2026hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe sniffed his nose and then propped his rear on the corner of Ben\u2019s desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know Pa\u2026all I could think about today was that boy and how much he loved his father. The fact that Billy Brewer was a lazy, no account, didn\u2019t matter to his son, that boy still loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe shook his head gently back and forth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I had gotten a chance to know my son\u2026or daughter\u2026I would have been the happiest man alive\u2026I would have taught my son everything that you\u2019ve taught me\u2026and maybe even more. I\u2019d done the things with him that you and I used to do\u2026we\u2019d go hunting and I\u2019d take him fishing\u2026and I\u2019d teach him all about ranching and taking care of the land, like Hoss taught me. I\u2019d show him the mines and tell him about how Adam used to oversee the work there and at the lumber camps\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe paused and brushed at his face again.<\/p>\n

\u201cBilly Brewer\u2019s a fool\u2026he has no idea how lucky he is, he hasn\u2019t a clue to what he\u2019s been blest with\u2026and he called me rich! He has it all, right in front of him and he\u2019s too blind to see it.<\/p>\n

Someday\u2026I want to be able to have what he\u2019s got. I want to fall in love again, I want to have a son, maybe three,\u201d he grinned at his father. \u201cOr a daughter\u2026oh, Pa,\u201d cried Joe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost so much, but there\u2019s still so much of life left in both of us\u2026so much to look forward too, isn\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben placed both hands on either side of Joe\u2019s shoulders and leaned his face close.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph, in the midst of the tempest, God calmed the angry seas. He can still the ceaseless murmurings of our troubled hearts. God on the highest mountaintop is also God of the deepest valley. He walks with us, He\u2019s ever present at our sides, and those times that we think He isn\u2019t, it\u2019s because we\u2019ve moved in the wrong direction. God doesn\u2019t move away from us\u2026we move away from God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben slipped one arm about his son and hugged Joe tightly as he sat down on the edge of the desk with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust when we\u2019re ready to give up, God shows us just how much we have to live for. Like today\u2026when you saw that boy shot and how much Billy stood to loose. In a sense, you\u2019ve lost what he had\u2026<\/p>\n

You found in that moment, another reason to live. You just told me why, maybe you didn\u2019t realize it, but you did\u2026you said you wanted to be able to love again, you want a family\u2026you want children. Well my prayer for you son, is that you get everything you desire. I don\u2019t believe you\u2019re asking for more than your share, I believe you are asking only for what most men want in their lives.<\/p>\n

I desire nothing more for my life but to see you happy. I\u2019ve had a good life, Joe. I\u2019ve been blest with wonderful sons, a beautiful home\u2026land and riches beyond my wildest imagination. But your happiness, your well-being is all that\u2019s really important to me. It always has been, for all of you.<\/p>\n

You see Joe, this house, this land\u2026all of it, it\u2019s only materialistic\u2026it can\u2019t give back to a man, what\u2019s really important. And that\u2019s love of family; respect of friends\u2026Life, Joe\u2026it\u2019s all about Love\u2026and real love comes from God\u2026it\u2019s a gift to be earned, not taken.<\/p>\n

A man can live an entire lifetime and never know how it feels to be loved or to give love. I don\u2019t want that for you and me. Love hurts son\u2026you know that as well as I do. I\u2019ve been where you\u2019ve been; I\u2019ve ached in my heart so badly that I thought surely I was dying. But then, when I least expected it\u2026I found love again\u2026and again\u2026<\/p>\n

Joe, there\u2019s an old saying that goes something like this\u2026\u2018it\u2019s better to have loved and lost, than to never know love at all\u2019. I think that\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe grinned at his father.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Pa\u2026you\u2019re amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned then and glanced at the photographs. Hoss smiled back at him, Marie, his mother, was as beautiful as ever\u2026and Adam still looked as serious as he always had. Inger\u2019s picture was placed next to her son\u2019s while Elizabeth\u2019s picture was facing Adam\u2019s. And Alice was a lovely as ever in her white satin wedding dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were wonderful people, weren\u2019t they?\u201d Joe asked softly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2026they were lovely and charming, dashing and handsome\u2026my life would not have been complete without them. You know Joe\u2026life goes on, as you can see by this menagerie of photos\u2026it\u2019s for the living. Live it son, and live it well\u2026make them all proud!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try, Pa\u2026I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you will, Joseph\u2026I just know you will.\u201d
\nTHE END
\nSeptember 2004<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: WHN story: The Stallion and a bit of Forever tossed in to wet the eyes<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0 G (2,325 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9052,"featured_media":13918,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1015,23,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-joe-pa","category-drama","category-whn","wpcat-1015-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-13-id"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Black-Stallion.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9052"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}